BEIJING: Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin-ul-Haque said that China has now become the first destination for Pakistani students with around 28,000 students enrolled in different Chinese universities.

While speaking on the occasion of the 4th Exchange Mechanism Conference under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Consortium of Universities, he said, "Education and economic linkages are very important parts of this broad relationship."

Moin-ul-Haque said that the CPEC Consortium of Universities, which was established in 2017, is an integral part of China-Pakistan relations. Initially, 19 universities were part of the consortium while the membership has now extended in four years to 83 universities, with 61 from Pakistan, and 22 from China, China Economic Net reported.

"This not only means the increase of the number of universities but also the inclusion of more academic disciplines, ranging from business administration, transport, engineering, brain development in many other disciplines," he said. Moin-ul-Haque said that the success of the consortium is also important in promoting the study of China-Pakistan history, language and culture channel, integration, and promoting understanding of Chinese economy and business practices and research on possible CPEC projects.